The 10 Most Watched College Football Games of 2014

Published|Updated

The nation is SEC biased.

SEC games were six of the ten most watched telecasts for the 2014 college football season.

Here are the top ten: 

#1 Auburn at Alabama (13.5 million views; 11/30/14) ESPN

#2 Notre Dame at Florida State (13.25 million viewers; 10/18/14) ABC 

#3 Alabama vs. Missouri (12.8 million viewers; 12/6/14; SEC Championship) CBS

#4 Mississippi State at Alabama (10.3 million viewers; 11/15/14) CBS

#5 FSU vs. Georgia Tech 10.1 million views; 12/6/14; ACC title game) ABC

#6 Alabama at LSU (9.2 million viewers; 11/8/14) CBS

#7 FSU at Miami (8.74 million viewers 11/15/14) ABC

#8 Clemson at FSU (8.1 million viewers 9/20/14) ABC

#9 Florida at Alabama (8.0 million viewers; 9/20/14) CBS

#10 Texas A&M at Auburn (7.2 million viewers; 11/8/14) CBS

For the sixth straight year the SEC on CBS was the most watched college football television package. This is significant because ABC is able to program the best games from the Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12 and ACC in its evening primetime telecast and still can't beat the SEC's game of the week. The nation has decided it would rather watch SEC football than any other combination of conference or teams. Which means CBS's SEC package, only costing $55 million a year, is truly worth its weight in gold. That package of games will hit the market again in 2023-24 and promises to create a bidding war that CBS can't match.  

The SEC represented six of the ten most watched games this year -- Alabama was in five of the six games -- and Florida State was in the other four games, all airing on ABC in primetime. The Big 12, Pac 12, and Big Ten had no teams or games finish among the ten most watched of the season. 

Interestingly, the most most watched game of the year could have been a CBS game if the network hadn't bungled the selection process. ESPN's telecast of the Iron Bowl drew over 13.5 million viewers, shattering the previously most watched game in regular season ESPN history by over three million viewers. The Iron Bowl was the only game in the top ten most watched telecasts of the season that aired on cable. 

Judging by these ratings the dream game for television executives is clear -- Alabama against Florida State for the title. But regardless of who plays in that game it seems likely that the most watched show in cable television history will be this year's title game. 

Tags
Written by
Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.